Helping students connect to “place” can be a difficult task. I’ve taught middle school and high school art for nearly 10 years and this is by far my favourite assignment to give out. Students love the anticipation of sharing their favourite places in project one. The suspense and the unknown of project two hook them right in too!

These projects are built to encourage inquiry and wonder. We want the students to think critically about how places make them feel. How do they convey that emotion? What does emotion LOOK LIKE?

In a way, this project doubles as a psychology mindfulness lesson as well.

I’ve done this project with students as young as grade 6 and the results are always mind-blowing!

You can see here, the lessons walk students through the artistic brainstorming steps and encourage them to connect to a place on a deeper level. I’m a firm believer that getting words on paper helps the mind organize and ease. For the students that don’t know what to write or draw, the grouping activities help them hear ideas from their peers. Who cares if they “copy” a place someone else picked- it’s better than staring at a blank paper and producing nothing right? They have an idea, they’re working, they’re producing! Win-Win!

So what are you waiting for? Click HERE to grab this art project package and get our kids on their way to a deeper connection. And don’t worry, the grading rubrics are built right in for you. Just highlight, comment, and return!